Raining Jays
by TheDarkRainstar3d3
Summary: Jayfeather seems to have found a great new apprentice, but just how far will their relationship go? Jayfeather X OC  Rated T just in case I get in one of those violent moods :3
1. Jayfeather Gets an Apprentice

Author's Note

My first Warriors fic, I really don't care if I get flamed or not. Also for the ceremonies, I took them straight from the wiki. Honestly though, I'm not quite sure when in the timeline this takes place, I know it takes place sometime in OotS. Uh, so read, enjoy, and review!

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Chapter 1:

The rain, it just wouldn't ease up. Hazeltail sat in the nursery with the other queens as the sky continued to pour rain. She sat there miserably listening to the rain hitting the den. There was a leak somewhere and every now and then she could feel a drop of water hit her.

She was extremely close to her kitting, she could feel it. Jayfeather had come by that morning and checked on the kits' condition. He had said that she would probably be due today. That was at dawn, now it is just past sunhigh.

She sighed wishing for the moment that she could get out of this den and return to her warrior duties. Of course she wanted kits, but she was so bored. There just wasn't anything to do in the nursery. The only interesting things to do were to talk to the other queens or to converse with her mate who she hadn't seen since Jayfeather had checked her over. Where was Thornclaw anyway? He said he had to go on dawn patrol and then he would come right back to her.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. But before she could even call for Jayfeather he was there with his herbs. It was almost as if he could sense that her kitting was occurring before she did.

"There we go, now swallow this," Jayfeather said, getting her to eat the herbs he had brought her, Starclan knows he didn't want a she-cat to lose her kits while he was there. He had heard somewhere that Cinderpelt had felt distraught when she wasn't able to save a she-cat when she had kitted. It didn't sound like a very pleasant thing to think about so he focused on getting the kits out safely.

After what seemed like moons, Hazeltail had four kits nursing at her belly. Jayfeather gave a sigh of relief that he didn't have to go through a lot of trouble. He noticed there was proud gaze on his back. It was coming from Leafpool. "_I don't need her affection!_" he thought. Though he hadn't completely forgiven her for lying to him and his siblings, he wasn't outright hostile anymore.

Thornclaw had come in almost exactly when Hazeltail had finished kitting. Jayfeather looked at him suspiciously but didn't say anything. Hazeltail was describing her kits to Jayfeather but stopped when Thornclaw came in. Apparently, the litter was composed of two she-cats and two toms. The first tom was a golden tabby, like his father. The second was a gray tabby. One of the she-cats looked exactly like her mother, but the other struck Jayfeather as curious. She was a dark, gray tabby with a white left paw.

"What should we name them, Thornclaw?" she asked.

"Well, the first tom should be Goldenkit," he said, unable to think of a unique name. "The other tom can be Stonekit." He looked at the first she cat, the look-alike of her mother, "I like the name Dawnkit for her."

"I think we should name the last one Rainkit," Hazeltail said finally.

"Well, I think Hazeltail needs her rest, Thornclaw." Jayfeather said trying to get the warrior out so that the queens could go back to their napping. "Call me if you need anything, Hazeltail," Jayfeather called as the two toms padded out of the nursery.

As Jayfeather padded into his den, he dropped down on his nest, having grown tired from all of the excitement that the day had brought. Just today he had had two warriors with injuries, checking up on Briarlight, gathering herbs, and Hazeltail's kitting. He secretly wished that he had an apprentice. Briarlight and Brightheart were able to help out, but they weren't medicine cats. It were times like these that he wished Leafpool was back. He had more or less given up hope on her returning to her position as medicine cat. He had decided that he would take an apprentice, should a kit want to. But he had a long time to wait, so he decided that he would think these things over later as he dozed off.

When he awoke it was dark. "_Oh wait, I'm blind,_" he thought to himself. He scented the air to find that it actually was night. Dustpelt was guarding the entrance. "_I think I'll go for a stroll, I'm tired of being trapped in this hollow!_" he yowled inwardly. He had gotten annoyed with being stuck here during the day.

He nodded to Dustpelt as he walked out, thankfully Dustpelt hadn't questioned where he was going. He trekked onward until he reached the lake. He shuddered as he thought of him almost drowning in the past. The water's pushing and pulling sounds lulled him into a sense of peace, though. "_This is always the best place to just come and think,_" he thought to himself.

'_Hunger' _He stopped and thought for a minute. "_That was weird, I got the sense of being hungry, but I'm not,_" he thought contemplatively. He sighed and started the long walk back to his den. When he got back to the entrance of the hollow he saw that Cloudtail had swapped positions with Dustpelt.

"What were you doing outside of camp?" Cloudtail asked.

"Walking, got a problem with it?" Jayfeather snapped at the senior warrior. Cloudtail fluffed up a bit but said nothing else. Jayfeather walked in and dropped into his nest. He sighed and went straight to sleep.

* * *

It had been about three or four moons since Hazeltail had kitted. Three of her kits were always bouncing around the nursery, but Rainkit didn't seem to be quite as energetic. She would actually sneak out and watch Jayfeather in the medicine cat den. He always noticed her but never said anything until she spoke.

"Hi, Jayfeather!" she said as she bounded into the medicine den. Her mother didn't know that she had left due to her taking a nap.

"Hello there, Rainkit, how are you doing today?" he queried, his whiskers twitching in amusement. He didn't like to be around kits most of the time, but Rainkit seemed different. She seemed much more mature and level headed.

"I'm good, but mother doesn't know I'm in here." she said as she ran up to him. She helped him sort herbs for most of the time that she was there. They would sit and talk about different things each day. Most of their conversations would start with simple questions about how they were doing, or about the weather. It would then turn into a deeper conversation where they would discuss stuff like being a medicine cat and the warrior code. Strangely enough, Jayfeather would never raise his voice much when Rainkit was around. Briarlight noticed it but when she asked him one day, her response was, "Get back to your exercises."

"So you sneak out every time you come here, what would your mother say? Leaving the nursery without permission could get you in trouble," Jayfeather said.

It's worth it to come in here and work with you." she said while sorting some juniper. Jayfeather silently thought over what she had said in his mind. She liked working in here, with him. "_She just might be the apprentice I have been waiting for,_" he thought.

"Rainkit, how would you like to be a medicine cat, and work here with me?" he asked her.

"I think it would be fun!" was her only reply.

"You do know that medicine cats cannot take mates, and they must dedicate their lives to their work and to Starclan?" he asked, making sure she knew what she was getting herself into.

"I know, Jayfeather, I know." she said.

"Okay, I'll tell Firestar that you have chosen to be my apprentice. But, you should also tell your mother that you have been coming here."

"Why? She doesn't need to know?" Rainkit asked, wondering why she should get herself in trouble.

"Oh, but she does know. She knows that you've been sneaking out, she just doesn't know where. My advice to you is to tell her, you just might get into less trouble."

"oh okay, Jayfeather, if you say that I should," she said, shuffling her paws.

"Okay, now run along while I go and speak to Firestar."

* * *

"You are sure that she wants to be a medicine cat apprentice?" Firestar asked, eyeing Jayfeather.

"Yes, and I am sure that she will make an excellent medicine cat," Jayfeather staring blankly at Firestar.

"I trust your decision, I will let you have her as an apprentice."

"Thank you, Firestar, thank you," Jayfeather mewed as he dipped his head to his leader before leaving the den. He padded down and as he passed the nursery he heard Hazeltail call out for him. He padded inside to feel a slight amount of anger emanating from her.

"Yes, Hazeltail?" Jayfeather asked tentatively, hoping to not anger the queen.

"Rainkit says that she has been visiting the medicine den, is this true?"

"Uh, yeah she has been helping me sort herbs, she also asked if she could be my apprentice."

"Rainkit, are you sure that you want to be a medicine cat?" Hazeltail asked, concerned that her daughter wanted to follow the path of a medicine cat.

"Yes mother, Jayfeather said it was alright, and I really like helping him with herbs!" she mewed, trying to defend herself.

"Fine, fine," Hazeltail finally complied. "Kits these days."

"Okay, call me if you need anything." Jayfeather mewed, leaving the nursery and heading out of the hollow. The fresh grass felt great to his sore paws. Greenleaf scents were all over. He followed the scent of some horsetail until he reached the area where it grew. Picking a few stems, he padded off in the direction of the lake. Upon reaching the shore, he sat down his herbs and listened to the waves lazily lapping against the shore.

"It's nice outside today," he mewed to no one in particular. He felt the sun beating down on him and decided to head back to the hollow. He passed a patrol as he made his way through the forest. He could scent Lionblaze and Dovepaw with them. He waved his tail as he went by hoping they noticed him waving. He could feel Lionblaze's shock that Jayfeather was so cheerful today. He just purred to himself and passed through the barrier into the hollow. He dropped the herbs just inside of his den and fetched a piece of prey from the fresh kill pile. Prey was running well this Greenleaf.

He returned to his den, sorted his herbs and started on the vole that he had grabbed. It wouldn't be long until Rainkit and her siblings were apprenticed. As he sat there thinking about it, he suddenly realized, "I don't even know the medicine cat apprentice ceremony!" he mewed aloud. He quickly sensed around and gave a sigh of relief that no one had heard him. Briarlight was thankfully doing her exercises out in the hollow. He made a mental note to ask Leafpool how the ceremony went tomorrow before falling asleep.

* * *

It was the day of Rainkit and her siblings' apprentice ceremonies. Thankfully, Jayfeather had talked to Leafpool before and now knew how to perform the ceremony. "_It would've been very embarrassing to go up there and not know what to say_," he thought to himself quietly.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting."

Jayfeather climbed up behind Firestar so that he would be ready for when Rainkit was to be apprenticed. The four kits came out of the nursery and lined up in front of the Highledge. Firestar stepped forward and began the ceremony.

"Goldenkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Goldenpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

"Thornclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Mousefur, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and brave. You will be the mentor of Goldenpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Goldenpaw."

"Goldenpaw, Goldenpaw!" Goldenpaw touched noses with his father and they moved into the crowd.

"Stonekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

"Brackenfur, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Graystripe and I, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and brave. You will be the mentor of Stonepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Stonepaw."

"Stonepaw, Stonepaw!" Stonepaw and Brackenfur touched noses and also moved into the crowd.

"Dawnkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dawnpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

"Sandstorm, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Whitestorm, and you have shown yourself to be fierce and brave. You will be the mentor of Dawnpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Dawnpaw."

"Dawnpaw, Dawnpaw!" Sandstorm and Dawnpaw touched noses and moved to the front of the crowd.

"Now, I believe Jayfeather has something he wants to announce," Firestar mewed as he let Jayfeather step up.

"Cats of Thunderclan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown a vast amount of knowledge for her young age. Your next medicine cat will be Rainpaw." Jayfeather mewed steadily.

"Rainpaw, do you accept to post of medicine cat?" Firestar asked.

"I-I do!" Rainpaw mewed.

"Then at the half-moon you must travel to the moonpool to be accepted by Starclan before the other medicine cats," Jayfeather finished as he leapt down to his new apprentice.

"The good wishes of all Thunderclan go with you," Firestar said, wrapping up the ceremony.

As Jayfeather and Rainpaw touched noses, they could hear the chanting for the new medicine cat apprentice.

Later that evening, Jayfeather and Rainpaw padded into the medicine den. "You're going to want to fix yourself a nest." Jayfeather said, lying down in his. "The moss is over there."

Rainpaw gathered a couple of pawfuls of moss and situated her nest next to Jayfeather's. He didn't seem to mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The trip to the moonpool took ages! Her paws were sore by the time they had met up with the other medicine cats.

"So Jayfeather, finally taking on an apprentice eh?" Willowshine mewed to him.

"Yeah, I like having the extra paws," he replied before they had arrived at the moonpool. "_Now I have to do another ceremony,_" he thought grumpily.

"As you all know, I have decided to take an apprentice and must finish the ceremony, whatever," Jayfeather said hearing a few purrs of amusement from the other medicine cats.

"Rainpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?"

"It is," Rainpaw mewed confidently.

"Then come forward."

"Warriors of Starclan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will."

"You may now drink from the moonpool and speak to Starclan," Jayfeather said after finishing the ceremony.

Rainpaw nodded as she settled down on the stone and lapped up a few drops of the starry water. As she lie there, she realized that the real world was slipping away. After a few moments she saw something, but it was not what she had expected.

"What in Starclan?" she asked frightened by what she saw before her.

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Did you see that coming? I did, because I am frigging tired... I stayed up till 3:00 am just typing this stuff up off the top of my head...

Welp, hope you read, enjoyed, and reviewed! *Rainstar*


	2. The Three Revealed

Author's Note

LightningstormZero: I'm actually not sure if a medicine cat can become leader… But we'll see what happens.

Firestar111: Flames are negative reviews that usually have insults in them, not sure why anyone would give somebody one though.

Eternal-ni6: Yeah, the font was originally smaller, but a lot of the formatting was changed when I uploaded it. Hope the text is smaller this time.

Anyway, I'm glad I got a few reviews the first day of writing this so here is the next chapter!

"Read, Enjoy, and Review!"

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Chapter 2

"What in Starclan?" Rainpaw mewed frightened by the vision before her. A body of water was in front of her and had dark shapes rising out of it. The shapes looked like cats but they were so grotesque. She screamed as one neared her, but before it could reach her a starry cat jumped in front of her and the vision dispersed. Now she was standing moonlit forest with a starry cat before her.

"What happened?" Rainpaw asked, afraid that those 'things' would come back for her.

"I had to go and rescue you," the starry cat replied. "You shouldn't have been there and I'm sure something terrible might have happened if you had stayed too long."

"But what were those things? They looked like cats," Rainpaw asked trying to pry for more information.

"They were cats that were lost to the dark forest a long time ago. When you drank from the moonpool, instead of coming to us in Starclan, you ended up in the dark forest. It seems they have taken a liking to you."

"But, why would they want me? I'm not special," she said, trying to keep the dark images from her mind.

"You are special, but with time comes knowledge. You will not find out your purpose in this life until we think you are ready."

"But-" she tried to say before everything started to disappear.

"We will meet again, young medicine cat."

"I didn't catch your name!" she called out into what was now an inky blackness.

"Spottedleaf," drifted the voice as she woke up.

"Jayfeather!" she called as she jumped up from where she was lying on the stone. She quickly looked around when she noticed him sitting off to the side, the other medicine cats had yet to awake.

"Yes?" he asked casually. He had seen her dream, he had been right there behind her. Spottedleaf had not given him away however. The images that he glimpsed were very disturbing, he had not even meant to pad into Rainpaw's dreams. But Spottedleaf said that she was special, she just had to wait until her purpose was clear. "_Maybe she has ties to the prophecy of the three?,_" he thought to himself.

"I had the scariest vision! There were dark-" she mewed frantically until Jayfeather cut her off.

"You should wait to tell me later," he said flicking his tail towards the other medicine cats who were now waking up.

"Oh, okay," she said trying desperately to forget the images of the half decayed cats crawling out of the water. She shook her head as if to clear the thoughts as the other medicine cats padded over.

"Well, I guess this is farewell," Littlecloud mewed.

"Yes, until the next half-moon," Jayfeather replied nodding to the others.

They all dispersed from the moonpool and returned to their respective clans. Rainpaw and Jayfeather still couldn't shake the images off. Rainpaw even wondered if every medicine cat received those kinds of images when they were apprenticed. As if reading her thoughts Jayfeather turned to her.

"No, not all medicine cats see the kinds of things that you saw when you were dreaming."

"But, I didn't tell you what I saw?" she asked, confused on how he knew what she had dreamt. She saw him stiffen for a fraction of a second after she had said that. "_Maybe Jayfeather can read minds?_" she thought trying to figure out how he knew what she had seen. As they reached camp she noticed just how late it was. The sun was already beginning to rise and the forest was bathed in a soft light. She felt Jayfeather touch her shoulder gently with his tail and they padded into the hollow.

It was a bustle of activity. The dawn patrols were just getting organized, a few kits were bounding around outside the nursery, and a hunting patrol had come and there was a good-sized pile of fresh kill. She noticed Jayfeather had already gone back to the den so she picked out a rabbit for the both of them.

She padded into the den and sat the rabbit down in front of him. He looked at her surprised,

"You didn't have to bring enough prey for me," he mewed, slightly glad that she had brought something large enough for them to share.

"Don't mention it," she replied lying down and taking a bite from the rabbit. She felt the wonderful flavors of freshly killed rabbit fill her mouth. Jayfeather nodded his head at her in thanks before taking a bite of his own. They sat there in silence eating their prey. "_Today is going well,_" she thought before realizing just how tired she was.

After finishing their prey, both medicine cats went to their nests which were only a few mousetails apart. "Goodnight, Jayfeather," she mewed, slipping into sleep.

"Goodnight, Rainpaw," she heard him say before sleep took over.

* * *

"I think Ferncloud might be expecting kits," Rainpaw mewed to Jayfeather while they discarded old herbs and replaced them with new ones.

"What? Another litter?" he asked with annoyance. "_If this keeps up the whole clan will be made up of her kits!_" he thought. Rainpaw flicked him with her tail while she purred in amusement.

"It's the bringing of new life into the world, it doesn't matter how _you_ view it, I see it as a good thing. Thunderclan needs all the warriors it can get."

"Fine, fine," he mewed. "I'll go and check up on her before tonight."

While they were sorting herbs, a familiar scent to Rainpaw entered the den. "Stonepaw!" she said turning around.

"Yeah, I got a scratch on my shoulder. I fell into some brambles," he mewed. It was obvious that he was embarrassed, he was only apprenticed just a moon ago.

"It's not bleeding a lot," Jayfeather mewed padding up beside them. "Probably best just to put cobwebs on it for the bleeding."

After patching up Stonepaw, Jayfeather and Rainpaw went out to check on Jayfeather's herb patch. When they arrived, there was an abundance of growth. They needed to pick enough to replenish their stores, but leave enough so that it would continue to grow. Leaf-fall wasn't very far off, so they needed to start stocking up.

On their way back to the camp, Jayfeather said that he would be there soon and told Rainpaw to go ahead to the hollow. He padded down to the shore and sat his herbs down. He always made sure to visit the shore every other day. He didn't know why though. The lake's rhythmic sounds just lulled him into a calmed, peaceful state. Sure he didn't go anywhere near the actual water, but he didn't mind the calming sounds.

"Jayfeather?" Rainpaw asked padding up to him. She had noticed he made trips down to the lake frequently. She always wondered what he did down here.

"Yes, Rainpaw?" he asked, not taking his sightless eyes off of the water. If only he could see the sun reflecting off of the slightly blue water.

"Why do you come down here often?" She was curious and she was going to find out what influenced her mentor to come here.

"I'm not exactly sure myself. Sometimes I just feel like coming down here just for the sound of the water," he replied. She had to admit, though, the sounds did feel like they were making her slightly drowsy. The was a calm around the clans this past moon. There had been little to no fighting, prey was running well, and herbs were growing in an abundance.

"Well, I guess we should head back now," he mewed, picking up his herbs. The trips he made down here were a mystery to himself and Rainpaw. Maybe it was just the water's sounds against the shore. Or maybe there was a deeper meaning.

After returning to camp, he had Rainpaw sort the herbs while he went to check on Ferncloud. "_Yep, she's having another litter of kits,_" he thought. "Ferncloud, you are going to have kits." he said dully.

"Thank you Jayfeather, I'll call you if I need you."

"_Wow, she even knew what I was about to say,_" he thought.

He returned to the medicine den, Rainpaw was already eating, so he had picked himself a thrush from the fresh kill pile. As he sat there eating, he thought over the events of the day. Strangely enough, even though in his head it was an average day, he still felt like it was a good day. He looked over and saw that Rainpaw had finished eating and fallen asleep while he had been thinking. He sighed and decided it would be a good time to sleep as well.

* * *

Rainpaw found that she was walking through the same moonlit forest from when she drank from the moonpool. She saw Spottedleaf coming over to her. She also detected a very familiar scent but ignored it. She saw Spottedleaf glare behind her, but didn't see anything. When she looked back, the glare was gone.

"Hey, Spottedleaf!" she called to the starry medicine cat.

"Greetings, Rainpaw," she mewed. "It is good to see you again."

"Did you call me here? Or did I manage to come here myself?" Rainpaw asked, wondering why she was dreaming of Starclan on such an ordinary night.

"Yes, I wanted to speak with you. You see, it is regarding what I told you many nights ago at the moonpool."

"When you awaken, ask Jayfeather about the three. He will know what you mean."

"But what is 'the three'? And what does Jayfeather know about it?"

"All will reveal itself child, but for now, you must awaken." And as Spottedleaf said that, everything started to fade. She awoke to find Jayfeather looking at her.

"So what did Spottedleaf have to say?" he asked nonchalantly.

"_How does he know about that?_" she asked herself. "how did you know that I was talking with Spottedleaf?" she asked.

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours," he replied with a smirk.

"Well, she told me to ask you about 'the three'," she mewed back. "Whatever that means."

"I see, so what do you know about the three?"

"Nothing! She just told me to ask you," she replied wondering what he was trying to find out from her.

"There was a prophecy, given to Firestar. '_There will be three kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws._'," he mewed, explaining the age-old prophecy to his apprentice.

"Wouldn't that make them more powerful than Starclan then?" she asked, curious as to what the power of the stars was.

"That is something we haven't found out yet." he replied.

"Who is _we_?"

"Lionblaze, Dovepaw, and I. We are the three that the prophecy speaks of." he mewed, revealing himself. "Lionblaze has the power to remain uninjured in battle. Dovepaw had the ability to sense things very far away. I have the power to walk in other dreams."

"So that is how you knew about my vision! And about me talking to Spottedleaf!" she said, now understanding his mysterious knowledge. "But how did you not know what Spottedleaf told me?" she asked questioningly.

"She managed to push me out of your dream after I had arrived," he explained. He had started shuffling his paws while explaining everything to her. It wasn't everyday that they told a cat about their powers. What if she rejected him?

"So you are that powerful?" she asked, her eyes gleaming. Jayfeather was shocked that she looked at him in awe and not in fear. Surely she would be afraid of someone more powerful than Starclan?

"Yes, but that is all that we know. There are still many things we do not, such as our purpose for having these powers."

"Oh, so I cannot tell anyone? Not even my littermates?" she asked.

"No, no cat may know without Starclan's permission. The only ones that I know that know are Firestar, you and us."

Jayfeather sighed, at least his apprentice didn't fear him and that was his biggest worry.

"So, do you think Spottedleaf wanted me to know for some special reason?" she asked, wondering if that was her purpose, to help the three.

"I don't know, Rainpaw, I don't know." he mewed, wishing that he knew the full extent of what was going on. "Either way, until we know more, we should just continue on with our duties."

"Agreed," Rainpaw mewed. She didn't know what was going on, but she would help where she was needed.

* * *

Author's Note

Honestly, I didn't know how to end this chapter. I couldn't make a good cliffhanger so… whatever.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed on the first chapter :D

And also Ferncloud is having kits so we are open for your (The readers) characters!

Just follow this form, and if it checks out then you might end up with a character in the story!

Name (That you want when they are a warrior):

Fur/Hair:

Eye Color:

Personality/Habits:

Etc (Anything extra you want to add [Optional]):

PM me your form!

So I hope you all Read, Enjoyed, and Reviewed! *Rainstar*


	3. A Look Into Rainpaw's Mind

Author's Note

Firestar111: Your welcome, yes it's okay that you put it in your review, and yes the cats are okay!

Here's the next chapter, thought I'd give you a look at what runs through Rainpaw's little head on a daily basis.

Read, Enjoy, and Review!

* * *

Chapter 3

"It won't be long until Ferncloud's kitting," Jayfeather mewed to Rainpaw. He had been wanting to see how his apprentice handled herself under pressure. He had always like to think that he handled himself well under pressure most of the time.

"I know, Jayfeather," she replied, batting a piece of moss back and forth between her paws. Today had been quite uneventful. Leaf-fall was just around the corner, but herbs were stocked. Prey was still plentiful, and there hadn't been any border disputes in ages. The medicine cats were stuck with nothing to do all day. The only things they had to look forward to were Fernclouds kitting and the gathering which was tomorrow.

Rainpaw sighed as she stood up from her ball of moss. She shook her pelt of before walking to the entrance of the den. "I'm going out, Jayfeather," she called to her mentor. He just nodded and waved his tail. "_Lazy furball,_" she commented inwardly. All he did on these sorts of days was lie in his nest. He occasionally went to check on Ferncloud and to get a piece of prey for him and Rainpaw.

As she padded out of camp, she could feel the crisp air that signaled the end of Greenleaf. The grass was cool against her paws. She padded her way through the forest aimlessly. These sorts of days were so boring. This was one of the only things that she could do. Her ears pricked as she heard a mouse nibbling on some grass. She dropped into a hunter crouch like her brother showed her. Jayfeather hadn't bothered to show her how to hunt or how to fight, but she didn't blame him. He was blind and probably didn't know how anyways.

She slowly prowled towards the mouse before pouncing on it and killing it with a swift blow. She thanked Starclan for her catch and began to pad back to camp. When she arrived her brother, Goldenpaw, congratulated her on her catch. She mewed her appreciation before heading into the medicine den. Surprisingly, Jayfeather was asleep. She hadn't seen him sleep during the day very much.

She quickly ate her mouse before taking a short nap. When she awoke she noticed that Jayfeather wasn't in his nest. "_Hmm, that's weird, he never leaves me by myself in here,_" she thought.

"Briarlight, did you see where Jayfeather went?" she asked padding up to her.

"No, he just walked out, I'm not sure if he left the hollow or not though." she replied.

"Okay, thanks anyway," Rainpaw mewed dipping her head in thanks. Where had he gone? Why would he go anywhere without telling her? Usually he would at least say that he was going out.

She saw Lionblaze sharing tongues with Cinderheart, so she padded over. "Lionblaze, have you seen Jayfeather? He left and didn't tell me where he was going."

Lionblaze looked up and replied, "No, but he might have gone to the lake. That's where he usually goes."

"Okay, thanks," she said before leaving the hollow. She could scent him slightly as she padded towards the lake. As the lake came in to view she could see him talking with a gray tabby she-cat. She suddenly felt a wave of jealousy rush through her. "_Why do I feel jealous? It's not like I even know that she-cat anyway,_" she thought to herself.

She padded out and heard them talking, something about herbs.

"No, I don't think we are going to have any shortages this leaf-bare, Willowshine," she heard Jayfeather mew.

"_Willowshine, that is the Riverclan medicine cat apprentice! I guess they were just talking about herbs?_" she questioned in her mind. As she padded over she could tell Jayfeather knew that she was there. "_How does he do that? It's like he can see behind him even though he is blind!_"

"Hey, Rainpaw," he called without turning around. She saw Willowshine turn and look, surprised that Rainpaw had snuck up on her. "Is there any trouble?" Jayfeather asked her.

"No, just wondering where you disappeared off to."

"Willowshine, let me introduce you to my apprentice, Rainpaw."

"Greetings, Jayfeather has told me a lot about you," Willowshine mewed.

"_Oh yeah, she wasn't at the moonpool the night I became an apprentice._" Rainpaw realized. She had wondered why she hadn't seen her before. She had heard Jayfeather list off all of the medicine cats before, but she hadn't seen all of them.

"Hi," Rainpaw mewed weakly. She wasn't used to addressing another medicine cat. "I'm Rainpaw," she said introducing herself.

"I'm Willowshine," she replied nodding her head. Rainpaw shuffled on her paws, she didn't know what to say!

But before she could say anything, Jayfeather quickly stood up. "I smell fox, and it's not very far off. We should get back to camp, you too Willowshine."

Willowshine nodded and began bounding down the shore towards her own camp. Rainpaw and Jayfeather quickly took off and returned to the hollow. Rainpaw went into the den while Jayfeather went to warn Firestar about the fox.

She sat there thinking about the encounter at the lake. Why had she felt jealousy towards Willowshine? They were only talking about herbs. She continued to go over her thoughts in her head, not even noticing Jayfeather's arrival. When she looked up and noticed him she quickly shielded her emotions. "_I swear he can read minds,_" she thought to herself.

"Firestar said that they would keep an eye out for it. I also told Lionblaze, I know he could take care of it if he wanted to." Jayfeather mewed, explaining what had transpired while she had been lost in her thoughts.

"Okay," she replied. She didn't know why he was explaining what he had done while she was lost in her thoughts. "_If I had wanted to know, then I would have asked him!_" she thought. She then realized that Jayfeather's snappy nature was starting become apparent in her as well.

As Jayfeather went to lie down in his nest, he mewed to her, "I don't read minds, just emotions," and fell asleep. Rainpaw just sat there and stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Had he read her mind? "_There is no way that he read my mind!_" she said, trying to convince herself that he hadn't replied to what she was thinking earlier. "_I'll ask him about it in the morning._"

* * *

When she awoke, she sat up and shook her head trying to rid herself of the last of her sleepiness. She looked over at Jayfeather and was surprised to find him staring blankly at her.

"Sleep well?" he asked her casually.

"Uh, yeah?" she replied unsure of herself. Why was he acting so casual? It was like nothing unusual had happened last night.

"Tonight is the gathering, and I want you to go."

"_It would be her first gathering! And Jayfeather wanted her to go!_" she thought excitedly.

"Um yeah, of course I want you to go. Besides, it would be a good experience for you," he replied, as though he had read her mind.

"There you go again! Quit reading my mind!" she yelled at him in frustration. Why did he have to do that, always messing with her because of his 'oh so wonderful power.'

He looked at her in confusion and replied, "I'm not reading your mind? I've already told you that I can only read emotion." What? But he had replied to her thoughts. Thoughts were definitely not the same as emotions.

"Whatever!" she mewed shaking her head. "I'm going to go get a piece of prey, do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'll get some later," he replied waving her off with his tail. He was such a strange cat sometimes. She padded out of their den and grabbed a vole that was on top of the pile. She sat down in a sunny patch of the hollow and began eating. When she had finished she decided to go and check on Ferncloud. Her kits were due any day now.

"Ferncloud?" she mewed, making sure the queen was awake.

"Yes?" Ferncloud replied.

"Just coming in to check on you," Rainpaw said, putting a paw to the queen's belly. She could feel the movement of the unborn kits. "They're very active, and they haven't even been born yet!" she mewed, excited for the queen.

"Yes, and I'm sure they are going to be a handful," Ferncloud replied.

"Alright, call us if you need anything."

The prospect of new life was exciting to Rainpaw. But she then realized that she could never follow that path of life. She had taken the path of the medicine cat and it didn't allow for mates or kits. She could always dream though.

After returning to the medicine den, she decided that she should take a short nap before the gathering. She could scent that Jayfeather was in the back, most likely sorting herbs. After a few minutes she had fallen asleep.

* * *

"Prey is running well in Thunderclan. We also have four new apprentices, Goldenpaw, Stonepaw, Dawnpaw, and our new medicine cat apprentice, Rainpaw," Firestar mewed as the clans started cheering out the new apprentices names.

"Shadowclan is doing well, we have no other news to report," Blackstar mewed.

"Prey is plentiful in Riverclan, and we have our herbs well stocked," Mistystar mewed nodding to the Riverclan medicine cats.

"The moors are free of dogs and there are many rabbits to eat," Onestar mewed. "The gathering is now over."

"Wow, that was fast," Rainpaw mewed. She had expected it to take much longer than that. But if the clans are thriving then there really isn't much to report then.

They started the long trek home and Rainpaw and Jayfeather chatted on the way there.

"So, how was your first gathering?" he asked.

"Short, I had expected it to take longer," she replied.

"Yeah, most gatherings are quite short," he said thoughtfully. They arrived at camp and everyone went to their dens.

"Goodnight," Rainpaw mewed as she got comfortable in her nest.

"Goodnight," Jayfeather replied as he licked her head before lying down in his own nest.

"_He just showed me affection? That's not normally something that you see,_" she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Author's Note

Aww, so cute! Jayfeather showed affection for Rainpaw :D

Anyway, next chapter is when Ferncloud will have her kits so… last chance for any character submissions! I can only take one or two more though, I'd rather keep it at about three to four kits.

Wow, two chapters in one day... ( Technically three XD )

So anyway, I hope you Read, Enjoyed, and Reviewed! *Rainstar*


	4. More Experience for Rainpaw

Author's Note

I decided that I would write in Rainpaw's POV again because it's fun :D

Your in for a treat, so read, enjoy and review!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Alright, now that the correct herbs have been placed onto the wound, what do you do?" Jayfeather questioned his young apprentice. A handful of warriors had gotten into a fight with the fox. Luckily, though, Lionblaze was with them and the injuries weren't fatal.

"Um, you wrap it in cobwebs?" Rainpaw suggested. This was one of the first times that she had to help treat a patient. Since before she had become Jayfeather's apprentice there had been peace between all of the clans, so it wasn't very often that a warrior would come in with injuries.

Her father, Thornclaw, had gotten a huge gash along his shoulder and was in pretty bad shape. He would need to stay in the medicine den for a night or two.

"Alright, good, now wrap them around like this," Jayfeather mewed, demonstrating on how to apply the cobwebs. "There you go Thornclaw, you need to stay off of it as much as possible so that you don't reopen it.

"Thanks Jayfeather, Rainpaw," Thornclaw mewed, dipping his head to them before exiting the medicine den.

"You're not going to make him stay the night in here?" Rainpaw asked.

"Nah, he's a strong warrior, he'll pull through," Jayfeather said, cleaning up all of the excess herbs. They had treated three patients from the fox's attack. It had been quite a busy day.

"Ugh, I'm tired, Jayfeather," Rainpaw mewed, falling into her nest. Now that the last of their patients were gone, it seemed like she could finally get some sleep. They had been up since dawn going through various tasks. Gathering and sorting herbs, checking on Ferncloud, whose kits were due very soon, and treating the warriors.

"Sure, but be ready for anything tomorrow, I can feel her kitting is close," Jayfeather mewed still sorting the last of their herbs. Her thoughts dulling as she felt sleep overtaking, she heard Jayfeather whisper in her ear, "Goodnight."

* * *

Rainpaw opened her eyes to find that it was still dark. "_Was it still night?_" she wondered. She slowly got up and shook her pelt off. She scented for Jayfeather but only got a stale scent. "_Again? Doesn't he ever sleep?_" she questioned mentally. "_Did he return to the lake?_" She padded out of the den and saw no one around. Only after leaving the hollow, did she notice Mousewhisker guarding the entrance.

"Did Jayfeather come through here?" she asked, wondering where her mentor could have run off too. She felt responsible for him, even though she was his apprentice.

"Uh, I think the went down towards the lake?" Mousewhisker mewed, trying to remember which way the senior medicine cat had gone.

"Oh okay, thanks for the help," Rainpaw thanked him. She padded down towards the lake as she caught on to his scent. "_It's stale,_" she thought, surprised. Normally when she couldn't find him, he was down here at the lake. But it seemed as though he had vanished. "_His scent ends here._" Where could he have gone? Scents don't just end abruptly. She tried scenting him again and noticed that the scent actually ended in the water. "_Is he trying to hide from someone?_" she wondered.

She followed a few barely visible paw prints next to the shore of the lake. They went in and out of the water, as if they were too afraid to go too far in.

"Mouse-dung!" Who had she just heard? It sounded like Jayfeather but she couldn't be sure. She quickly headed towards where she had heard the voice come from. As she pushed through a clump of bushes, she spotted Jayfeather trying to pull a thorn out of his paw. She purred in amusement as she padded out of the bushes.

"Oh, I was wondering when you were going to show up," he mewed, not looking up from where he had removed the thorn.

"What are you doing out here? And what did you mean you were wondering when I would show up?" she asked.

"Well, you never stay too far away, even when I leave you seem to follow."

"You never answered my first question," she pointed out. He was right though, almost every time he left she seemed to go and find him.

"I was just wandering," he answered, seeming to choose his words carefully. He always seemed to keep at least one secret from her. She was determined to find out.

"Cats don't just go out at moonhigh for a walk," she pointed out.

"I didn't say that I was out for a walk, I merely stated that I was wandering. There is a difference."

"Whatever!" she huffed, getting fed up with his mysterious nature. "Let's just go back to the den." Jayfeather glanced behind him before agreeing.

"Alright, let's go."

They padded back in silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other. "_Just what had he been doing out here, alone?_" she briefly wondered. She shook her head. Whatever the reason, she wasn't concerned and she wasn't about to bother her mentor about it. She respected his privacy if nothing else.

After returning to the den they both settled down into their nests. But before succumbing to sleep, Rainpaw had the slightest feeling of her pelt brushing against Jayfeather's.

* * *

"_What if something goes wrong?_" she wailed inwardly. Ferncloud had just started her kitting and Rainpaw was on the verge of having a panic attack. She didn't want to mess up anything. "_What if the kits are stillborn? What if Ferncloud's milk doesn't come? What if-_" Her thoughts were interrupted as Jayfeather laid his tail over his apprentice's shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her pelt when he did that but she managed to calm down a bit.

"Nothing will go wrong as long as you follow my instructions," he told her. He hadn't expected her to doubt herself so much. "Okay, Ferncloud, here comes the first kit," he told her feeling her belly contract. She was an experienced queen, she didn't need very much instruction.

After the first kit had been born, Jayfeather had set Rainpaw to licking it. She didn't object and just nodded to her mentor. He could feel the queen's swollen belly start to contract again. "Here come's the next one Ferncloud. It might be the last one," he mewed to her.

"_How is he so calm in a situation like this?_" she thought while continuing to lick the newborn kit. Sure he had help her mother with her kitting but that didn't mean he had to be so calm about it.

Soon the final kit was born and Jayfeather began licking it as well. When he was sure that their task was complete, he returned to the medicine den to get a few more herbs. Rainpaw now looked down at the queen with her two kits.

"So what are their names?" she asked as Dustpelt was finally allowed into the den. There was a tom with silver fur and a she-cat with white spotted bluish-gray fur.

"I think we should name the tom Marshkit," Dustpelt suggested. "And the she-cat could be Bubblekit." They were interesting names. To Rainpaw, they sounded slightly Riverclannish, but she wasn't about to voice her opinion to the kits parents. She liker her ears intact!

"Okay, Ferncloud, here is some borage for your milk." Jayfeather mewed, getting the queen to swallow the herbs.

"Thank you Jayfeather, you too Rainpaw," Ferncloud mewed gratefully. Already it was apparent that the queen was exhausted from her kitting.

"Your welcome, Ferncloud," Jayfeather mewed dipping his head. "Come on, Rainpaw, she needs her rest."

"Coming!" she called after him as they padded out of the nursery. That was such an exhausting experience. Not just for the mother but for the medicine cats as well. Jayfeather grabbed a piece of prey for the two of them to share. They entered the den and began eating.

"You did pretty good out there," he mewed. "For an apprentice."

"You mean the nearly fainting? I did terrible!" she mewed. "I could have at least helped a bit more!"

"It was your first time helping a queen kit, you _will_ get used to it. It just takes time," he mewed to her. It seemed like everything took time. "Now get to sleep, we don't want you falling over your paws while you overwork yourself."

"Fine, goodnight to you too," she replied, purring in amusement. Most people said that he was irritable and had a sharp tongue, but he was nice to her. "_I wonder why,_" he thought to herself. She gave him a quick lick behind the ear before curling up in her nest, embarrassment burning her pelt.

"Goodnight to you too," he replied with a purr before curling up in his own nest.

* * *

Author's Note

Yay another update! Tried to add a bit more Jayfeather & Rainpaw fluff.

There's your characters firestar111, hope they turned out good.

Sooo anyway, I hope you read, enjoyed, and reviewed! *Rainstar*


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